So it’s been awhile due to some technical difficulties.
Sorry. Let me catch you up.
I spent my last few weeks in Butijira and said a tearful
goodbye to my host family. We all headed to the capital of Adiss Abeba (new
flower) and spent our last week of training and household shopping. I finally
bought a cultural outfit, though not the really nice one I want. And a cultural
scarf called natella, and made from cotton. I also was able to see the first
movie in theater since coming to Ethiopia, Cinderella. We were able to meet
some PCVs that are already in country and see some of the Capitals sights.
The last day there we all dressed up nice got in a bus and
headed to the US embassy. We were let into a very nice garden area that made us
feel back at home rather than the other side of the world. A bunch of officials
showed up and people connected to the Peace Corps. Then the ambassador came
gave a speech then a representative of each language from our training class
got up and gave a speech in the local language they have been learning. After
we received a certificate of training completion from the US ambassador, who is
an inspiring and strong woman. Following the service we took pictures together
and had some good food.
The next day we got up and left all familiar to us for the
small town life. After spending a night in lalibelle we got on an early bus
that was two hours late and headed to our final destination. Overcharged the
whole way due to being foreign. A few days after arriving my clothes were
delivered for me.
My normal schedule since arriving has been to get up around
6:30 eat breakfast then go to work. Which people may or may not be at. If they
are then I follow around their activity such as; teaching a class of row
cropping, giving a survey, introducing new plow technology or handing out baby
chickens. This is usually held around 10 am since the farmers never come on
time. When it’s over it’s around noon. After that I’m normally invited to my
Counterparts house for coffee and food prepared by his wife. I go home for rest
if I can or get dragged around town meeting people or simply sitting at my
counterparts house till nightfall. If I do go home I’ll be invited for coffee
and food at least once if not twice in the afternoon. This is my basic day,
since at the moment I’m only supposed to be observing and learning.
On Saturdays we have market day and I walk to it hoping to
find good fruits and vegetables. So far I’ve only seen, onions, garlic,
potatoes and tomatoes. Though people are growing carrots and beets they haven’t
reached market yet. They have had local bananas available at market, though I
know it is possible to get apples, lemons and oranges. I recently traveled to
the district hub town Flaket and found and avocado and mango due to a special
event. I learned they are growing them in the tree nursery, yet I don’t think
they are generally available at the time. I’ll have to look into it. Eggs are
also available along with a variety of spices that I don’t actually recognize
since they aren’t labels and if they were labels they would have a different
name such as Rue being called Tinadam (which some people like to dip in their
coffee). If I wanted I could also buy soaps and buckets and plastic shoes. And
if I had the guts I could buy a live chicken as well. I don’t think I have it
in me to kill one and besides women are forbidden from the actual slaughter.
A few large events have happened since I arrived. The first
was Fasica or Easter. The orthodox Easter is there biggest holiday and is
conducted a week after America celebrates theirs. This is a culmination of a 3
month fast called t’some, were among other things they cannot eat meat or eggs.
On Fasica they get up before sun rise dress in their best cultural outfits and
walk in the dark with flash lights up to their church. Everyone wraps
themselves in these white blankets called Gabi which are entirely and made from
cotton, in the dim light all you see are whit figures covered from head to toe
holding little lights gave me the distinct impression of ghosts at Halloween
time. At the church the shoes are removed and you bow your head at the entrance
touching your head heat and shoulders in a cross. Then men are sent to one side
and women the other ass you pray along the building bow your head, do the
cross, then step to the side and repeat three times. Then you exit the church
and sit in family groups to break your fast by eating a spicy chicken and chili
powder stew called Doro Watt along with a spongey sour crepe like bread called
Injera. Supposedly if I had gone even earlier I could have heard the priests
chanting and some preaching. After that the day is dedicated to feasting,
mostly on Doro Watt but some people come together to slaughter a lamb or goat
sometimes even a cow. As the foreigner everyone wanted me at their house for
the festivities though I tried to remain at my counterpart’s house and my
compound family’s house. I think I ate 5 times that day.
After Fasica as is right before t’some starts there tends to
be a lot of weddings. The reason for this is that weddings eat a lot of meat…
so for three months of t’stome no one marries at all. As it so happens my
compound sister had gotten engaged and was to wed two days after Fasica. As such
family started showing up that Sunday and I barley had a moment without someone
showering me with questions. I felt drain as the true introvert I am, too much
socializing! It lasted all week! The first days after fasica were spent
transforming the backyard by building a huge shade structure out of eucalyptus poles
and tarps. Further was a big hulabaloo about cooking all the meat. I even got
roped into cutting garlic till I cut myself. After they saw I got hurt they
refused my help. Lots of drinking of the local beer called Tella, they had barrels
of it and would top off a glass as soon as you took a few sips so you couldn’t
keep track of what you drank. I refused politely but sternly time and again. I did
have one glass of Tedge their honey whine and a shot of some hard liquor but
that was hours apart.
The bride wore the classic wedding dress and had bridesmaids
and all. She waited in the house and I was called to join in the festivities as
we waited for the groom. In the room they started banging on a plastic jug like
a drum and started chanting/singing. And doing a traditional dance called Iskita,
which is done by shrugging the shoulders and popping the chest to a rhythm. It’s
called Iskita cause when you dance people stop singing and go “issk issk issk
issk”. I was somehow dragged into this dance and even asked to sing though I have
no idea how to do their songs. Finley we hear chanting outside as the men arrived
from the groom’s party and they entered the room and everyone started dancing. Then
bake to the yard were we all had lots of meat and Injera. Up at the front the
bride groom sat surrounded by their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Then there’s an offering
of a gift which was a suitcases full of clothes and then the bride signs a
paper hands it to the priest and then the ring. But to be honest all the
ceremony is done quietly as the people feast. Finally the couple rise after a
while and everyone cheers as they get in vans and drive to the grooms place for
another part of the ceremony.
I thought that would be the end of it but was wrong. The bride’s
family stays there and party’s all night. I was somehow dragged into dancing
again with everyone staring at the Frenji, which now people are always asking
me to dance. The next day I went to work and was surprised when came back that
the bride and groom had returned and they were feasting again. I was ushered up
to the front to sit next to the bride as if I was a maid of honor. After a
while they started to “Gorsha” me (which is a sign of affection by placing food
in someone’s mouth). And then they brought out the raw meat which is only served
fresh after slaughter, I’m just glad I didn’t witness it… When I didn’t immediately
dig in they decided to feed it to me. So now I can cross eating fresh dead raw
cow off my bucket list. Again the couple left and went to the grooms house and
the family partied outside my room till midnight at least. By the third day I was
tiered of the festivities, but of course they continued feasting and partying
like before. By the time I got to bet I was happy that it was finally over and
that I could get some privacy at last. But of course there was another two days
of cleanup with the family all still feasting. What a week!
The following week on Wednesday was my instillation meeting.
Meant to be a brief 1-2 hr introduction for important people in my town to who
the Peace Corps are and how they can help me feel welcome and capable to work
here. I had spent the previous week filling out official invitations and
hunting people down. We had told them all that the time was 8 am for the
meeting, though officially it was at 10 am. I got there at 8 am and helped set
up. True to form no one even started showing up till 9:30 am. However everyone
seemed to want to make a big deal out of this event. They started throwing
leaves all over the floor and making coffee and popcorn (which is the official snack
and drink for any true occasion) for close to 40 people, despite my protests
that it wasn’t necessary. I felt like they thought the meeting was some sort of
ceremony by the way they set things up. The Peace Corps staff finally showed up
half an hour late, and then waited another hour to get more people to show up. We
finally started around 11 am for an event we claimed was supposed to start at 8
am (habisha time at its finest). To be honest I was barley even needed, I set a
10 second self-introduction then sat down and listened to them present in Amharic
while Bunna was passed around. Then it was over and I showed the PC staff my Farmers
Training Center and my House and that was that.
The final thing of interest happened this last week. I was
sitting in my back yard when a 7th grader shyly handed me a piece of
paper inviting me to school to introduce myself and talk about my experience of
Ethiopia. When I got there to class all the other classes suddenly decided that
the class I was in was more exciting so the tried to slip in or stand by the windows
and doors. Since the purpose of my visit was to let them practice English I was
able to introduce myself in English, then answer a few shyly asked questions
and somehow ended up singing songs like the national anthem and “marry had a
little lamb”. I was trotted from class to class after that cause everyone was jealous
if I visited one class and not another. By the end I was asked to come back in
a few days and teach a full period in order to expose them to a new teaching
style. I decided that instead of just word lists or writing assignments I would
make them do pantomime to guess the clothing. I forced each child in the 7th
grade class to stand up in front of the class and pretend to put on a hat or to
wear a skirt and the class had to guess the word in English. By doing so the
word was reinforced with an action, further it helped by breaking down their
shells and making them embarrassed. Many of these students are too scared to speak
even when they know a word, helping them be comfortable in class is the first
step. If they are too shy hear then they will never be able to use their skills
in real life.
The second class I taught was for 8th grad and I asked
them to draw up a simple skit one acting as a shop keeper the rest of the group
as a customer. The goal was to have one come in ask for an item try it one, and
complain about one fault (ex the skirt is to small) the item would be exchanged
then bought. By the time class was over they had yet to finish the practice so I
agreed to come back. As I explained to them words are just words till you use
them in a sentence or conversation. Context is everything, and language has to
be spoken or else you will never be able to use it. I’ve seen what these kids
write in English, it’s impressive! They have been learning English for 7 years,
but getting them to speak anything is torture. So my goal is to get the words
out of there brain and onto their tongue!
Teaching was the most fun I've had since i arrived at site a month ago! hopefully tomorrow i can finally see that tree nursery!
That’s all for now, sorry it took so long. I had technical
difficulties…
